There are a variety of retail options for displaying a variety of information in retail environments, including, pricing, labeling, promotions, etc. Traditionally, this information has been provided using print systems, including slide-in paper system, plastic label systems, adhesive label systems, etc. More recently, there has been increased interest in utilizing digital or electronic systems to display such information.
The utilization of high definition display technology, including plasma displays, LCD displays (including those backlit by light emitting diodes (LEDs)), etc., in such applications was considered, but such systems are expensive, limiting their scope of commercial adoption. For example, many retail outlets have large numbers of shelves that require the display of information. Systems described in US 2014/0139548 utilize only a single display strip per aisle for displaying the prices of products on a multiple shelves. This approach may alleviate some of the cost-prohibitive nature of such devices, but leaves a great deal to be desired as the prices are no longer located adjacent the product, resulting in frustrated customers having to search for prices. In addition, such systems utilize displays that are not only expensive to install, but to replace. US 2010/0012600 suggests the use of such displays protrude into the aisles where customers can knock the displays off and/or otherwise damage the displays. The solution there was to provide a large housing below the shelf to secure the electronics and protect them from being damaged. However, these large systems are even more difficult and expensive to transport and install, and do not provide optimal display surface areas.
The utilization of less complex and cheaper displays have also been considered, including e-paper displays (EPD), and thin-film-transistor liquid crystal displays (TFT LCD). However, such solutions are not one continuous strip. Therefore, a retailer cannot manage and communicate with an entire shelf display or multiple shelf displays in a single action. Instead, such digital and print displays, while possibly being adequate for displaying pricing information, product information, etc., they must be managed individually and do not have the ability to display complete aisle cross-branding, customer communication, display true or full-spectrum color, or full motion video and/or animation. Typical TFT displays for such applications are limited to displays that are 480 pixels wide by 272 pixels high, limiting the viability of such solutions. With graphics cards having a 2048 pixel wide by 1152 pixel high capability, such displays would need to be linked together with multiple displays and multiple graphics cards, requiring sophisticated and expensive synchronization software. Further, such systems would be limited to a maximum of twelve displays, equivalent to a five-foot section of tethered displays, through a single display server. In addition, such displays have relatively poor brightness—e.g., generally only up to about 25 NITS—and angle and distance legibility parameters—e.g., generally up to a maximum of about 2-3 feet at a 90 degree viewing angle and about 1-2 feet at a 25 degree viewing angle.